Footwear



Oct. 13, 1970 ToMlHARu Mo'roKi 3,533,171

FOOTWEAR Filed Dec. 19, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

ATT'YS Och 13, 1970 'roMlHARu MoToKl 3,533,171

FOOTWEAR Filed Dec. 19, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGS I N VEN TORITQNHHARU-l MOTQK ATT'YS 3,533,171 FOOTWEAR Tomiharu Motoki, Toliushima,Japan, assignor to Fukuola Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd., Tokushima, JapanFiled Dec. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 785,087 Claims priority, applicationJapan, Apr. 16, 1968, 43/ 31,265 Int. Cl. A43b 7/06 U.S. Cl. 36--3 2Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Footwear is provided with a pluralityof Ventilating holes in the inner sole. A lower sole is secured to theinner sole and is provided with a plurality of protrusions and acircular groove around the root of each protrusion.

The present invention relates to improvements of footwears such as shoe,sandal, slipper and the like.

In the conventional type footwear the ventilation thereof adapted forrespiration of wearers feet has been performed in such a Imanner thatupon a sole of the footwear an inner sole having a plurality ofVentilating holes is mounted so as to move upward and downward owing towalking of the wearer. However, said kind of footwear is uncomfortablein wearing thereof due to the upward and downward movement of the innersole, thereby making the wearer weary.

A main object of the present invention is to provide a new type footwearsubject to perform eicient and forcible ventilation by means of uniqueconstruction thereof without moving an inner sole thereof.

Still further objects and advantages of the present invention will beclarified in the following description of a preferred form of embodimentthereof taken in connection with the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the footwear according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of the footwear taken along theline II-II in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional View of the footwear taken along theline III-III in FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of a lower sole memberof the footwear according to the present invention; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the invention applied to another style of shoe.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the footwear to which the presentinvention is applied comprises a lower sole member 1 having specificconstruction as hereinafter described, an upper cover member 2 which isformed of a thin layer of suitable soft pliable material such as naturalor synthetic leather cloth, natural or synthetic rubber, syntheticresinous plastic material (c g. vinyl chloride, polypropylene or thelike) or the like and which is integrally and inseparably adhered tosaid lower sole member 1 by suitable conventional method, and an innersole member 3 having a number of Ventilating holes 6 and being adheredto the upper surface of said lower sole member 1.

The lowersole member 1 consists of a front sole portion 1A made of softand elastic material such as natural or synthetic rubber and softsynthetic resinous plastic material (eg. vinyl chloride, polypropyreneor the like) and a heel portion 1B made of suitable hard-wearingmaterial, preferably hard, such as natural or synthetic mbber orsynthetic resinous plastic material (e.g. vinyl chloride, polypropyreneor the like), said both portions 1A and 1B being integrally andinseparably fused to each other by suitable conventional method.

nited States Patent O A plurality of semi-circular protrusions 4 isintegrally formed on the back surface of said front sole portion 1A, onthe upper surface of which a plurality of semi-circular depressions 5 isfor-med at opposite sides thereof as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Around the root of each protrusion 4, as obviously shown in FIG. 4, acircular groove is provided so as to improve high deformation andflexibility of the protrusion.

The heel portion 1B is provided with a plurality of cavities on theupper surface thereof so as to afford high cushioning effect and toreduce the raw material applied to the heel portion.

Upon weight of the wearer being applied to the footwear of the presentinvention, the lower sole member 1 will be depressed against ground, andthe protrusions 4 are to be deformed and forced up. Consequently, airenclosed within the cavities 5 will be compressed and forcibly pushedout from cavities through the Ventilating holes 6 of the inner solemember 2.

Upon the footwear being released from load, the protrunsion 4 will bereplaced to its original position under natural condition thereof, owingto its elasticity and pliability, so that by suctioning-function due toreturning action of the protrusion the air will be suctioned into thecavities 5 through the Ventilating holes of the inner sole member 2.

Thus effective ventilation will be applied to the footwear so as toremove unpleasant smell or hot air containing humidity from thefootwear, whereby smell-less, sanitary footwear being easily obtainable.

Further, since said inner sole member 2 according t0 the presentinvention secured to the upper surface of the lower sole member 1, theinner sole member 2 is protected from moving upward and downward, evenunder the compressed air being applied to the inner sole member 2,thereby improving wearing comfort of the wearer.

While the present invention has been illustrated and described hereinwith respect to a preferred embodiment, it is not desired to limit theinvention only to the embodiment, but the invention should be consideredto include all the substitutes, modifications and equivalents which areencompassed within the essential part of the invention to be set forthin the scope of the underwritten claims and within the scope of thespirit exhibited in the intention of the inventor.

What I claim is:

1. An improvement of footwear comprising a lower sole member, an uppercover member secured to said lower sole member, and an inner sole memberhaving a number of Ventilating holes and being secured to the uppersurface of said lower sole member, said lower sole member being made ofsoft elastic material and having a plurality of protrusions on the lowersurface thereof and a plurality of cavities at the opposite sidethereof, and a circular groove being formed around the foot of each ofsaid protrusions, thereby aifording high deformation and flexibility.

2. A footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower sole memberincludes a heel portion, said heel portion being provided with aplurality of cavities on the upper surface thereof, thereby affordinghigh cushioning effect.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 429,429 6/ 1890 Eckhardt 36-32,347,207 4/ 1944 Margolin 36-3 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,026,299 4/ 195 3France.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner

